In
the 1950's Lillian Fuchs recorded
her arrangements of the Bach solo
cello suites and the critical appraisal
was very positive. She also arranged
the Bach solo violin sonatas for the
viola but apparently never recorded
them. But violists are grateful to
her for what she did throughout her
career: writing, recording and concertizing
to improve the status of the viola
as a solo instrument, instead of being
merely the harmonic glue that holds
the top and bottom of an ensemble
together. We know that the bass line
in a baroque ensemble is generally
doubled by the harpsichord. But when
you work with figured bass you see
clearly that one of its functions
is to emphasize the viola part and
make it more audible, to help it to
fill in the middle harmonies.

The
view from the viola is of the inside of the instrumental texture
both up and down. To play the viola, as did, for example, Hermann
Scherchen, is to be aware of the inner
structure of the music, be it chamber or symphonic. As conductors,
violists are generally concerned that the inner voices be heard
and generally produce satisfying, analytical, performances of
works that do not depend on flash or dazzle to make their point.

We
learn from a recent treatise on musical instruments (Musical
Instruments: History, Technology and Performance of Instruments
of Western Music by Campbell,
Greated, and Myers. OUP,
2004, ISBN 0-19-816504-8) that the viola is actually too small
for its tuning to be a scale model of the violin. Great
skill and experience is required to place the resonances of
the box so as to radiate the sound effectively, and a good viola
is not only more difficult to make that a good violin but more
difficult to play as well, especially if the player is to bring
out the dark, contralto register that is the unique property
of this instrument. Ms. Mallow achieves some deeply wonderful
growls from her instrument as well as soaring sweet lyricism,
and makes everything sound easy to play, which it most certainly
is not.

Of
the works presented here, the Sonata Pastorale
is the most musical, the one you are most likely to listen to
repeatedly. The other works are pedagogical and although there
are many moments of great beauty and interest, there is also
some sawing and running up and down, the curse of music for
solo string instruments. It is difficult to imagine this music
being more musically or more sympathetically performed than
it is here by Fuchs’ granddaughter, Jeanne Mallow, using her
grandmother’s renowned instrument.

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